Editorials
President, RCGP, Honorary Editor, InnovAiT
"It was the best of times. It was the worst of times". Charles Dickens certainly knew how to grab the attention of his readers. After all, opening sentences can enthral, intrigue, or bore. And if you’ve reached this fifth sentence, my task is done.
Because this really has the potential to be the best of times for general practice. The opportunities that face doctors at the start of their careers are remarkable, and probably more varied than at any time in our history. The recent chaos around MTAS, anxieties about changing assessment methodologies, and a recent undercurrent of negative spin about our branch of medicine might have felt like the worst of times, but are as nothing compared with the strides that general practice has made in recent years. We really are the centrepiece of the NHS. Our skills as generalists are being recognized as never before, and the sky is the limit. The College has played a major role in promoting the very real values of primary care to all who will listen. We now have real international evidence that a primary care focus improves health outcomes, and reduces health inequalities – and what more can any health care system aspire to?
But learning about such a complex and exciting medical specialty has more than its fair share of problems. Looking at the RCGP General Practice Curriculum can be intimidating. Wondering how to make sense of the very different world of primary care can feel overwhelming. Even though I have been a GP for over thirty years, in yesterday's surgery I saw two problems that I have never encountered before. When you are dealing with the infinite, the challenge can be considerable. The real skill of a GP lies in knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do.
And supporting you at this phase of your career is where InnovAiT comes in. Associates in Training are hugely important to the RCGP. After all, you are the College's future. This new journal is designed to stimulate, educate, and fascinate. The editorial team has been talking to AiTs to discover what your needs are, and how we can best address them.
We believe that this exciting new publication will build up into an invaluable reference source, but we also want it to be a good read. Let us know what you think.
The RCGP is a charity, devoted to improving the quality of care for patients. Nothing improves quality more than enthusiastic, motivated, educated doctors. I am delighted you have joined us as Associates. Together we can make a real difference.
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